The “national” dimension of the Latvian Constitution one hundred years after its entry into force

Abstract

The article analyzes the birth of the 1922 Constitution of Latvia by highlighting its enduring commitment to the ideal of citizenship as attached to the “demos” nation as opposed to the “ethnos” nation. In this regard, due account will be given of the trajectory of Latvian constitutionalism throughout the Soviet domination and after the newly regained independence with specific focus on the guarantees provided for by the Constitution for non-ethnic residents and citizens, who are apparently assimilated to ethnic citizens in the effort to build a fully-fledged Latvian nation.